Chritter, April’s Lady Gamer

For April we are joined by another of the awesome ladies over at Real Women of Gaming. She’s shared some of her own perspective on gaming and the community with some fantastic responses. If you are interested in sharing your thoughts on gaming or the industry, from a lady’s perspective, please drop us a line at xamot@fragsandbeer.com. So, without further ado, here is Lady April, Christie Chritter.

Q. What is your Gamertag and does it bear any special meaning?

Well, honestly I’m not really sure which one you are speaking of. I go by a few names, depending on where I am at. At Real Women of Gaming and to a lot of my online friends I am Chritter. Not really sure how it came about, but I know it originated with my name, Christie Chritter. You know, like Crispy Chritter? So some call me Chrispy, others call me Chritter. Either way, I know I’m loved.

My gamertag though is Aethia, or some form of it depending on if someone stole it before I got there. *scowls* And this one does have special meaning to me. Back in my dream filled teenagerhood I had this grand theory, as most of us do, of writing a book. I loved fantasy and vampires and back then I actually had an imagination. So I created a book, wrote 9 chapters of it in fact. Aethia was born of that attempt of a book, as it was the name of the world I created. I never knew that the name was used elsewhere or for other things. Didn’t find that out till much later. All I knew is that I liked the letters A and E together. I told you, I was young.

Oh yeah, by the way? I tend to be long winded… so… yeah…

Q. We are getting a lot of readers outside the U.S. If you don’t mind everyone knowing, what country do you hail from?

I’m from the United States, in the great big state of Texas, yeehaw!

Q. Gamer guild/clan affiliation?

Not really, no. I mean, I have my ladies at RWoG. I have my friends at my roleplaying sites, which is like a clan. My husband has at least 5 different guilds in WoW and what not, and I’m sure I have characters in there. But one main one that I can say I belong to and everyone know what the frell I was talking about? Not really…

Q. Console or PC? Reason for preference?

It really depends on the game, as cliche as that sounds. But if I had to pick one, console all the way! I have played on consoles as long as they have been out. Atari 2600 to wet my beak and on up through the ages. I’m old enough to remember a time when consoles were the only game around. So of course my loyalties lie there. Now, that said, MMORPG’s tend to be better on PC. Because of the mouse interface. Anything that functions better with a mouse, obviously goes on PC. Obviously.

Q. When did you start gaming?

Too many years ago to count. I call myself a newbie gamer only because life caused me to take a hiatus from all things gamer for quite some time in the middle of my life. So most of my experience comes from youth, at this point. Atari’s. NES, SNES, Dreamcast, PS, PS2. Never did get an XBox, I was a Playstation girl, mainly because of Final Fantasy. Then I missed the PS3/Xbox360 years for the most part. In fact, I have never played on a PS3, and only got my 360 a few years ago, well after it had become the established generation. So… old school gamer with newbie-ish creds. Horrible, I know.

Q. What got you started in the world of gaming?

My father, honestly. He is the one that brought home the Atari. I played the hell out of some Dig Dug and PitFall and Super Breakout. Oh my god, the Super Breakout. Then when SNES hit and Super Mario 3 came out, it was all over.

Q. What is your favorite game?

One game? Wow that’s hard. I would have to say my favorite game is Final Fantasy 3 (or 5, for you purists). Because that is the one that drew me in the most. The opera scene? Hello! I actually downloaded the Midi music and wore that shit out. Loved it. Still makes me choke up to think about it. I have always been an RPG fan (as a lover of fantasy can I love any other?). And that one started it all.

Q. Currently playing?

Well, I just recently finished South Park: Stick of Truth and before that Skyrim. I went through SP:WSoT way too fast and haven’t really replaced it with anything. I keep seeing TitanFall, but that one isn’t happening for me. One, I suck at first person shooters. Like.. horribly. And two, I’m afraid I’m going to suck so bad that everyone else (being that it’s a multiplayer game) will make fun of me horrifically. Not because I’m a woman, necessarily. But because knowing me, I would end up shooting myself in the face. And that isn’t even possible, I don’t think.

I think my next game will be Final Fantasy 13, Lightning Returns. As clunky as the controls are, it’s my first love.

Q. Most anticipated future release?

I honestly have no idea.

Q. Build your own or off-the-shelf PC? Any reason for preference?

Build your own, definitely. You have more control over what you put in and what you get out of it. Not saying that off the shelf can’t be awesome too, I have had several PC’s that ran for years and years, well beyond their typical life span. But build your own’s are like the Frankenstein Monster. You don’t like something? Replace it! IT LIVES!

Q. Favorite game type?

As mentioned, RPG 🙂

Q. Favorite game character and what drew you to them?

Now is where I throw a curve ball. As much as I like the FF characters, if I had to choose one as a favorite it would have to be Link. The Zelda series of games have always been second favorite under FF, but the hero is much more memorable. He is consistent in each game. And he kills a mean pot.

Q. Have you experienced any issues related to being a female gamer and can you share a memorable good or bad experience?

Honestly? No. I know it’s because I don’t really expose myself to anyone but my friends and family. And the others I expose myself to, I don’t really give a shit what they think about me. I know, it seems anti-climatic, a woman gamer who hasn’t really experienced the harshness of online life that others go through. But that’s not because I have been lucky. It’s been because I have never really put myself out there to be seen. Because I am scared of that same reaction.

Q. What advice would you give you ladies who are worried about sharing their love of gaming, or experiencing negativity because they have?

Of all the harshness I have felt as a gamer, only a little of it has been because I have been a woman. Most of that comes from disbelief, so there is a lot of that still going around. “Women can’t game, you’re lying.” or “You sure you just don’t let your boyfriend play?”. Even “You only play girly games like Tetris or Farmville.”

My advice would be to get good. Doesn’t matter what it is at, practice it. Even games that are typically male-centric, like FPS. Go out there and headshot someone. Repeatedly. Just don’t camp. Because that’s slimy.

Maybe I am naive still, but I do believe this: If you get good at whatever you’re doing, your contribution will overshadow the fact that you are a woman. They might not like your gender, but they will appreciate your skill. I would like to believe this, anyway.

Oh. And I will kick your ass at Tetris.

Q. Finally, being fairly new to online gaming according to your profile, how has your experience been so far? Can you share an experience that either made you glad you took the online leap or made you wish you hadn’t?

Without meaning to, I think I answered this question already. *lol*

I mean I get the usual skepticism when I say I like playing video games. But I have never really jumped on the online multiplayer bandwagon, so I have never really exposed myself to anyone else except for those that know me. That’s one reason WoW was so good for me. It’s still multiplayer, but I do my own thing.

The battlegrounds always gave me a thrill because my contribution meant something to the team. But my screw ups were harshly chastised. And it didn’t really instill in me a lot of trust. Of my own skill (I fear I suck, therefore I do suck) and of other peoples reactions. I will say though that despite my hesitance, I do want to try online multiplayer again. In something, don’t know what.

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